Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1901 — Ground Hog Day. [ARTICLE]

Ground Hog Day.

According to popular tradition February 2nd is Candlemas or groundhog day and that event this year will fall on Saturday of this week. The groundhog is now said to be growing very restless in his underground home and it is supposed will arise on the early morning of Saturday, rub his eyes and saunter forth in search of his silhouette. It is even intimated that he is scheming to take a snap judgement on the weather for the rest of the winter, by getting out before sunrise, and thus avoiding any possible danger of seeing his shadow and having to hole-up for another six weeks of winter and four more of bad weather. • But whether there is any truth in this report or not, we want it plainly understood that no disrespect is intended to his hogship in mentioning it. We make this explanation from the fact that much of the very bad weather experienced last year, during the groundhog season, was attributed to the animal’s bad temper over certain not wholly complimentary remarks about him, in this paper.